Sweden Fines Translator for Having Hentai Images

A Swedish translator of Japanese manga has been fined by Uppsala district court for possession of manga images depicting children engaged in sexual acts. The translator claimed that he had downloaded 51 offending images “in order to stay up to date with the latest developments in the Japanese comic genre.” The court found him unanimously guilty of possessing child pornography, although the presiding judge did tell the Upsala Nya Tidning newspaper, “There’s a clear conflict between freedom of speech on the one hand and general regulations regarding children’s rights on the other… It was however our view that the protective aspect weighed more heavily… The aim of the law… is not just to protect individual children but children in general.”

The translator’s lawyer has appealed the decision, stating, “It goes against all common sense. These are just drawings; no children have been harmed.” The presiding judge has said that he welcomes a second opinion from the appeals court due to the precedential nature of this case.

Source: The Local

Article provided by Douglas Evans